Hot stamp tooling assembly and method of forming a part with tailored temper properties

Abstract

A hot stamp tool including an annealing die and a hot forming die. A blank is placed in the hot forming die with a first transfer arm where it is formed and quenched into a shaped part. The shaped part is then moved from the hot forming die to the annealing die with a second transfer arm. In the annealing die, the shaped part continues to be cooled. The annealing die includes a heating element that heats a portion of the shaped part to the point of annealing to form an annealed part. The annealed part includes a non-annealed portion and an annealed portion with a transition zone between the annealed portion and the non-annealed portion. The annealed portion can then be deformed.

1 . A hot stamp tooling assembly comprising:
 at least one hot forming die and at least one annealing die;   the at least one hot forming die including an upper forming die and a lower forming die for shaping a blank into a shaped part;   the at least one annealing die including an upper annealing die and a lower annealing die for receiving the shaped part;   the at least one annealing die including at least one cooling element and at least one heating element, the cooling element located adjacent to the heating element; and   wherein the at least one heating element anneals a portion of the shaped blank and the at least one cooling element simultaneously cools a portion of the shaped blank adjacent to the at least one heating element to hinder heat transfer from the at least one heating element to the cooled portion.   
     
     
         2 . The hot stamp tooling assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one heating element includes an upper induction coil located in the upper annealing die and a lower induction coil located in the lower annealing die. 
     
     
         3 . The hot stamp tooling assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one cooling element includes upper die channels located in the upper annealing die adjacent to the upper induction coil and a lower die channel located in the lower annealing die adjacent to the induction coil, wherein the upper die channels and the lower die channels transfer a coolant adjacent to the induction coils. 
     
     
         4 . The hot stamp tooling assembly of  claim 1 , further including a first transfer arm for placing at least one blank into the at least one hot forming die and a second transfer arm for removing the at least one blank once it has been shaped into a shaped part and placing the shaped part into the at least one annealing die. 
     
     
         5 . The hot stamp tooling assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the at least one hot forming die includes a first hot forming die and a second hot forming die and wherein the at least one annealing die includes a first annealing die and a second annealing die. 
     
     
         6 . The hot stamp tooling assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the first transfer arm includes a first blank holder and a second blank holder for simultaneously placing a first blank into the first hot forming die and a second blank into the second hot forming die. 
     
     
         7 . The hot stamp tooling assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the second transfer arm includes a first shaped part holder and a second shaped part holder for removing the shaped part from the first hot forming die and the second hot forming die and placing them in the first annealing die and the second annealing die, and wherein the second transfer arm includes a third holder and a fourth holder for removing a part from the first annealed die and the second annealed die simultaneously with the removal of the shaped part from the first hot forming die and the second hot forming die. 
     
     
         8 . The hot stamp tooling assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the first hot forming die and the second hot forming die are spaced apart by the first annealing die and wherein the first annealing die and the second annealing die are spaced by the second hot forming die. 
     
     
         9 . The hot stamp tooling assembly of  claim 1 , further including a control system comprising:
 a processor;   a memory that includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:   heat, with the at least one heating element, at least one portion of the shaped part above a recrystallization temperature; and   cool, with the at least one cooling element, at least one portion of the shaped part adjacent to the at least one heated portion.   
     
     
         10 . The hot stamp tooling assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the processor is further caused to cool, with the at least one cooling element, the at least one portion of the shaped part adjacent to the at least one heated portion to a temperature between 0° C. and 150° C. 
     
     
         11 . The hot stamp tooling assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one hot forming die includes upper cooling channels in the upper forming die and lower cooling channels in the lower forming die. 
     
     
         12 . The hot stamp tooling assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the processor is further caused to cool, with the upper cooling channels and the lower cooling channels, the shaped part to slow heat transfer from the at least one heating element to surrounding portions of the shaped part. 
     
     
         13 . A method of forming a part with tailored temper properties and transition zones comprising the steps of:
 hot forming a blank in a hot forming die until it is a shaped part;   placing the shaped part in an annealing die and partially cooling and partially heating the shaped part in adjacent locations simultaneously to form at least one annealed portion and at least one non-annealed portions with a transition zone therebetween; and   deforming the annealed portion.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the transition zone is less than 20 mm. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , further including partially cooling to a temperature between 0° C. and 150° C. and partially heating to a temperature at or above a recrystallization temperature. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the shaped part is a B-pillar. 
     
     
         17 . A method of forming a part comprising the steps of:
 providing a hot stamping tool having an annealing die and a hot forming die, wherein the annealing die includes a first shaped part and the hot forming die includes a first blank,   shaping the first blank in the hot forming die during a first stroke to form a second shaped part,   simultaneously cooling and annealing the first shaped part during the first stroke to form an annealed part,   moving the annealed part away from the hot stamping tool and moving the second shaped part to the annealing die, and   moving a second blank into the hot forming die after moving the second shaped part to the annealing die.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein a second transfer arm moves the annealed part away from the hot stamping tool and moves the second shaped part to the annealing die, and a first transfer arm moves the second blank into the hot forming die after the second transfer arm moves the second shaped part to the annealing die. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  including heating the first blank and the second blank before the shaping step. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first shaped part is partially cooled and partially heated simultaneous and in adjacent locations in the annealing die to form the annealed part, the annealed part includes annealed portions and non-annealed portions, and the annealed part is a B-pillar.